HUNDREDS of electric vehicle (EV) charging points need to be rolled out in the Royal Borough in 10 years to help residents to ditch their petrol and diesel cars.

The EV charge point implementation plan states about 600 on-street plug-ins and a further 125 charge points in council car parks will need to be placed by 2033 as the local authority predicts every Windsor and Maidenhead resident will have an electric car by 2040.

This will mean the council will have to erect 75 charge points per year for the next 10 years across the Royal Borough – including in the rural areas, such as Cookham, Hurley, Wraysbury, and Sunningdale.

However, a majority of the demand will be in Windsor and Maidenhead given the concentration of the borough’s population in those towns.

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According to Cllr Donna Stimson (Con: St Mary’s), lead member for climate action and sustainability, the borough has the lowest EV chargers in the country and has one of the highest uptakes of electric cars.

The council will need to spend about £5m to fully implement its strategy but this will be funded initially by charge point operators – who will maintain the plug-ins – and by government grants.

The charge points could also produce new income of £500,000 per year for the local authority if successful.

This rollout is to help more people ditch their petrol and diesel vehicles and swap to electric vehicles in order to help the council and the UK reach its net zero targets and improve air quality.

Also, the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in the UK will end in 2030.

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A four-week consultation will take place in November and December to gather views from residents on their thoughts on the draft strategy and where they would like charge points placed.

Cllr Phil Haseler (Con: Cox Green), lead member for parking and highways, said this is an “incredibly important plan” and urged all residents to have their say when the survey goes live.

Speaking at Thursday’s cabinet, Cllr John Baldwin was concerned if “realistic options” will be included in the consultation regarding parking restrictions by the charge points to allow EV owners to actually use them for a set time.

He said: “The report makes it very clear that this is a potential quarter of a million to half a million-pound earner for the council in coming years. Obviously, we can’t earn that money unless people who want to charge their vehicles can access the spaces.”

Cllr Haseler replied parking restrictions will be a “strong consideration” as part of the plan.

A final strategy will come to cabinet in January, Cllr Haseler said.